Western Civilization Mercantilism Was Practiced Term Paper

Total Length: 364 words ( 1 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

He believed that a collusive relationship between government and industry was harmful to the general population. Smith described the principle of the "invisible hand" in which every individual is being led by an invisible force toward his or her own self good and that interference from government is a hindrance to success (Springer).

While many believe that Smith laid the foundation of modern-day practice, most industrialized nations today are not representative of his laissez-faire leaning, rather they favor mercantilist-type practices. Government intervention is common, including minimum wages, corporate welfare, anti-trust regulation, nationalized industries, welfare programs, subsidy programs for businesses and agricultural products, regulation of market competition, and economic trade barriers in the form of protective tariffs, regulation favoring domestic industry, and many other types of policies (Laissez-faire, Wikipedia).
Bibliography

LaHaye L. Mercantilism. http://www.econlib.org/library/enc/Mercantilism.html

Laissez-faire. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laissez-faire

Mercantilism. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/bus/A0832738.html

Springer, W. Adam Smith: founder of modern economic theory. http://heritage.scotsman.com/timelines.cfm?cid=1&id=40812005.....

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